Activity

Papier-Mâché Bracelet

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What preschooler doesn't love the hands-on gooiness of papier-mâché? This papier-mâché bracelet is simple to make, and the result is truly stunning! Your preschooler will love adding her own personal touch to the piece, and she'll practise colour recognition and develop those fine motor skills in the process.

It's true—papier-mâché can be very messy, especially when an excited preschooler is involved. But with a little preparation and forethought, your fun can be blissfully worry-free: just lay a few sheets of newspaper over your work surface and have your child wear a smock or old shirt. Clean-up will be a snap!

What You Do:

Help wrap the strip of cardboard around your child's wrist to create the base of the bracelet. Make sure it's large enough to fit over her wrist. Staple it in place and cut off the extra cardboard.

Mix the flour or wallpaper paste with water to create glue for your newspaper.

Demonstrate how to dip a strip of newspaper into the glue mixture, removing excess glue from the newspaper by sliding it between two fingers. Then, wrap it around the bracelet.

Have her repeat this process until the bracelet is covered completely with at least three layers of newspaper.

Then, have her cover the newspaper with the white strips of paper. Don't dip the white paper. If the adhesion process needs a little boost, show her how to dip her finger in the paste and smooth it over any areas that may be "bubbling" up.

Allow the bracelet to dry completely, which may take a few days. Putting it on a wire hanger will help it dry faster.

Encourage her to decorate her new fashionable bracelet with paint, sequins, jewels or poms. Once it's dry, she's ready to make her fashion statement!

Helpful Tip: Strengthen the final bracelet by coating it with an acrylic top coat found at any art or hobby store. Now your child has a snappy, homemade bracelet to sport around town or give to a fashionable loved one!